Originally announced back in 2018, the matchup sounded like it was made in heaven.
Tigers and Tigers. Louisiana and South Carolina. Cajun and southern barbecue. They’re two college football fanbases colliding for a melting pot of different cultures.
With plenty of differences, one thing is certain: each Tiger fan loves their football on Saturday. Every week, tens of thousands of die-hard fans from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Clemson, South Carolina, pour into Tiger Stadium and Memorial Stadium, respectively. They’re two of the best places to be when watching a college football game.
Regardless of what you think about either side, this home-and-home battle over the next two years will help answer the question about which Tiger team can hold the moniker of “the real Death Valley.” The battle over Death Valley between the two schools goes back many years, and we dug deep into history thanks to the help of divided fans, families and spectators.
History, traditions and the crowd will put fans on either side of the coin, but the results on each football field will ultimately dictate what the outside world will think for years to come.
These two teams have only met twice in our lifetimes, but each holds a special place in our hearts for one reason or another. For one, it’s a national championship win with one of the most memorable teams in the modern era. For the other, it was a close postseason win that revolutionized the program into what we see today.
While the times when the Tigers and Tigers meet are scarce, it’s up to student journalists to present what both schools truly bring to the table, which sparked the idea to create this head-to-head series over the summer.
In this edition, you’ll see multiple perspectives from the LSU and Clemson side, celebrating each team's history, what they bring to the table — or the tailgate — and the expectation of a top-10 matchup.
This Week 1 contest will be each Tiger quarterback’s first case for the Heisman Trophy. The preseason odds are tied for LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier and Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, so this match will be an early glimpse at who could be in New York City at the end of the year.
It’s a special time to be a college football fan, with a new 12-team playoff for two postseason hopefuls, meaning the fun is only beginning while the summer is dying down.
No matter which Tiger team you support on Saturday night, we hope you enjoy this special head-to-head edition and the matchup between Clemson and LSU at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.
Sincerely,
Griffin Barfield, sports editor for The Tiger
Chloe Richmond, sports editor for The Reveille
